


The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

by badboy_fangirl



Category: Sunset Beach (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-24
Updated: 2017-04-24
Packaged: 2018-10-23 08:19:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10715703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badboy_fangirl/pseuds/badboy_fangirl
Summary: Antonio has a holiday tradition he never breaks.





	The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The three people closest to him in the entire world--his mother, his brother, and his sister--knew that Christmas 1998 had been a big year for Antonio Torres. They knew that without the help of a particular woman--Gabriella Martinez--certain calamities would have befallen the denizens of Sunset Beach.

The next year, Christmas had been a big bust, what with Ricardo going a little bit crazy and trying to frame Antonio and Gabi for murder. But that was 10 years ago, and water long gone under the bridge.

As a general rule, now Father Antonio took a vacation around Christmas, usually leaving after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and not returning until after the New Year. His mother had protested greatly when he first started doing that--the first year was Christmas 2000--but over time she grew used to it and stopped bothering him. 

Ricardo understood that time away helped Antonio be a better priest, and he often returned at the start of the new year, refreshed, rejuvenated, and full of piss, as Ricardo put it. Secretly, Ricardo always thought T looked like he'd gotten laid, and laid well, but come on. He was a Priest, and even if he was his kid brother, it was a sin to even think stuff like that. Antonio had strayed a little when he was a young Priest, but he'd only become more faithful and stalwart in the years since.

Maria had suspicions, but she never spoke them aloud to anyone, because it would serve no purpose. Antonio lived the life he'd chosen, and he was very good at his job. He was also a loving and caring brother and uncle, and there were plenty of other family holidays that he never missed for any reason.

Every year, Antonio booked a flight from LAX to Las Cruces, New Mexico. A friend of his drove up from El Paso, which was about an hour away by car. And every Christmas, he spent 10 days with the woman he loved. The irony was something they giggled about as they sipped wine, and pushed away from their thoughts as they made love, and felt bitterly angry about when they said goodbye.

But each December 25th through January 2nd, they did the same thing, and it was the most wonderful time of the year, not just because Andy Williams sang it so.

 

 


End file.
